16 Nov Annual Environmental Review
On Monday 9th November members of the eco team took part in our annual environmental review of the school grounds. Armed with clipboards and forms the group was divided into teams to focus on aspects of our school environment and began our research. The weather was pretty awful for the activity but the eco team are made of tough stuff and braved the elements in the name of research!
The group found that the college is performing excellently within the waste category; the college has maintained zero waste status. Ulidia Integrated College was the first school in Northern Ireland to gain zero waste status and remains the only post primary college with the status.
Litter within the college grounds remains at a good level, the bins had been emptied recently which reduces the instance of birds removing litter, or wind blowing it out. The team have decided to take a year off the litter less campaign to focus more on other areas this year.
Recycling is maintained within the college, with recycled paper goods used within the college, and collections of ink, clothes, baby wipe packets, coffee pods, paper and many other goods.
Our bird boxes and regular planting activities have raised our biodiversity, but the eco team would like to have regular bird catches this year to monitor our populations, and would also like to encourage hedgehogs on school grounds.
Water is conserved with the use of our grey water system, but the team did decide that more awareness needs to be made of global water issues.
Within the transport section, the college has a high amount of sustainable journeys to work with many students travelling by train or bus and an increasing number using bicycle and even scooter to travel to school. The team decided to run the translink travel challenge this year again within Year 9 to build on the success of 9CNV (now 10CNV) last year within the challenge.
Within the global perspectives aspect of the review the team were delighted to report that the college has gained a fairtrade school status. The team looks forward to further work with the Madagascar project this year.
The team were delighted to have made so much progress, and are looking forward to making even more progress during 2015-16 academic year!
